For a band to be on the cover of the NME before they’ve even released their first single means they are either amazing such as The Sundays. (Their first few singles were brill and the debut album’s not bad) or absolute pants (The Others, Terris, These Animal Men) So where do Palma Violets fit into this? Are they the next Vaccines, Clash, Libertines??? Or are they the next Campag Velocet?? (Actually I quite liked Campag Velocet!!!)
After seeing them on Thursday night at a packed Westgarth Social Club in Middlesbrough I’m still not sure. I really enjoyed the night but in the cold light of day do they really have the songs to allow them to walk the walk as well as they talk the talk?? I would say…. maybe!!! “Best of Friends” is a stonker of a tune (watch the video clip of this their debut single below) and maybe 2 or 3 others are good but some of their stuff was not brilliant. This may be harsh as they are only a new band and maybe too much pressure has already been put on their shoulders. The NME tends to eat bands up and spit them out. They need time to grow, develop into the band they should be. I saw them in the summer with Savages and probably thought Palma Violets were better. Was that because my expectations of them were less? On Thursday I probably thought Childhood were better!!!! Again I hadn’t heard anything by them so was surprised at how good they were.
The element of surprise is a good thing in music. Palma Violets have lost that already. This is not their fault. In a way they are lucky to be on the cover of the NME. Lucky to be signed to Rough Trade. Lucky to be played on the radio and on Soccer AM. But unlucky in that they are now public property. They will have every move scrutinised. People will be already looking forward to their debut and expecting it to be a classic!! A tough ask for ones so young!
So, the review…… Childhood are a bunch of scamps from Nottingham via London who on tonights performance are going to be big in the next few months. They have dreamy songs called things like Blue Velvet. They remind me of a lot of 80s, early 90s indie/shoegazers. They also have a feel of The Drums and a bit of Bloc Party. They are very good and will be making big waves soon.
Palma Violets are this weeks thing. They are really nice lads. We spoke to them before hand and got them to sign our NMEs. They put on a show. Bags of energy coming from all quarters of the stage. They have some proper sing-a-long tunes like “Fourteen” and “Best of Friends”. They look and sound like the Libertines younger brothers. They have a bit of the Clash thrown in for good measure. Will they be famous? Hopefully. The fact they’ve got the might of Rough Trade behind them and they also seem keen to get themselves noticed. This is the second big tour they’ve done in a matter of months. The single is great and if given time I think they may have a great album inside them. Just give them time.
Thanks to both bands for a great night. Thanks to The Kids are Solid Gold for another great gig. Check out their link for all their upcoming concerts. They have loads of great things coming up in Middlesbrough, Stockton and Newcastle. Thanks to the staff at the Westgarth for being the best venue. Anywhere, ever!!!